NASHVILLE-Following up a platinum debut album puts a lot of pressure on an act. But following up the first debut alum by a contemporary Christian act to go platinum could create an unreal amount of anxiety. However, with the Sept. 16 release of "Much Afraid" on Essential/Silvertone, Jars of Clay have risen to the occasion.

"We had mixed feelings about it," Jars lead singer Dan Haseltine says of going into the studio to work on the group's sophomore effort. "I think we went into it with a great deal of confidence, but at the same time a great deal of insecurity, because you just don't know how people are going to react to a band changing a little bit or maturing. We figured we wouldn't do it the same way we did the last record, just because there are so many other bands doing all that stuff now. So we wanted to mix it up a little bit."

The success of its self-titled debut album made Jars of Clay something of a Cinderella story to Christian music. Three years ago, four friends from Greenville (Ill.) College-Haseltine, Stephen Mason, Matt Odmark, and Charlie Lowell-entered a contest for unsigned bands sponsored by the Gospel Music Assn. They won the competition, signed with Brentwood Music's Essential Imprint, and in May 1995 released their debut album. It quickly garnered attention in the Christian market. Then when Zomba's Silvertone label began working the band at mainstream radio, Jars of Clay hit with the single "Flood," which led to airplay on MTV and 300 tour dates in 1996 alone, including opening shows for Sting.

Haseltine admits that when he and his fellow band members sent in that first demo tape, they had no idea so much would happen so fast. "It's always been a game of catch-up for us," he says of the sudden success. "Something will happen, and we'll try to process it, but then something else will happen. The past couple of months, the process of doing the record and having a little time off, was really the first time in a couple of years [we've] had a chance to sit down and really process what has gone on and how we should be dealing with it."

Haseltine feels that the new record is reflective of the band's growth. "We tried to dive a little deeper into metaphor and things like that to try to express things in a more creative way," he says. "I think the songs are more mature than the first record."

The album's title comes from Hannah Hurnard's book "Hinds' Feet On High Places." "It's an allegory of the Christian life," Haseltine says of the book. "Basically, most of the characters are different emotions. There are characters named Fear and Insecurity. The main character, Much Afraid, is on this journey to the high place, up to the tops of the mountains, and she is crippled and can't walk very well… On the way she has to confront these fears and all these different characters.

"Most of us have read the book, and it's more than just being inspired by the book; it was the actual concept of moving from a place of fear to a place of faith. It was the underlying theme of that book, but it's also the underlying theme of most people's lives. It seems like so much of our society is being motivated by fear more than love. It seems that everything we do is reactionary because somebody did this or something happened here. Those were the kinds of concepts we drew from in writing a lot of the songs for the record."

The first single, "Crazy Times," was released to Christian and mainstream radio Aug 12. "It's a song that Steve and I wrote with a couple of other people, Gregg Wells and Mark Hudson," Haseltine says. "We were invited to be part of a writers' convention over in France put on by Bugle Publishing and Miles Copeland. We went over there, wrote with people, had a great time, and got some great experiences under our belt."

Mark Rider, developer of network image at WAY-FM Nashville, says the station just held a special weekend promoting the album and gave away 40 copies of "Crazy Times." He adds that WAY-FM is getting great listener response to the song. "We've had a lot of phones on the single," he says. "I think the album is going to do real well. 'Much Afraid' is a great album. I really applaud the guys in Jars of Clay for being as bold, if not even bolder, about their faith on this album."

The album was recorded in London and Nashville and was produced by Stephen Lipson, whose credits include Sting, Whitney Houston, Simple Minds, and Annie Lennox. Haseltine said the group met with several producers, gave them certain scenarios, then asked what they would do. "With Steve, we sat down and asked him what he would do in [a certain] situation…He looked up at us and said, 'Well, I don't know.' And for some reason, that was so much what we wanted to hear," says Haseltine. "His premise was, 'We will all get into the studio and panic together, and we'll figure all this stuff out, and we'll just create. I'm not going in there with a bunch of stock ideas and put together a cookie-cutter album.' He wanted to go in and just have us all work together and develop ideas and be creative together. So it just seemed like the best match for us."

As with its predecessor, "Much Afraid" will be released to the mainstream by Zomba's Silvertone label and to the Christian market by Essential, which is part of the recently formed Provident Music Group that encompasses Zomba's Christian music companies in Nashville-Brentwood Music Group, Reunion Records, and Benson Music Group-and their associated labels, along with Provident Distribution.

"This one far surpasses their last effort," says Essential director Robert Beeson, "and we're looking to great things from the album commercially and impact-wise."

Essential is releasing an enhanced CD single to Christian retail, priced at $6.99, that will include the single and video for "Crazy Times"; "The Chair," from "The Long Kiss Goodnight" soundtrack: "Frail," from the original Jars of Clay demo; and "Sleepers," an instrumental (the latter two are available only on this disc). The single will also feature interviews, a photo gallery, and videoclips.

On Sept. 9, Essential will issue a limited-edition vinyl pressing of the project with a suggested retail price of $12.98.

Point-of-purchase materials for the project will include a floor display that will house the CD singles, the collector's edition vinyl, and the CD, as well as posters, flats, banners, an encap kit, ad slick materials, and postcards. Essential is also providing retailers with a "midnight release party" kit, which will include T-shirts, buttons, posters, stickers, ad slicks, radio spots, video loops, and other items to create a party the night before street date.

Michael Tedesco, director of North America for Silvertone, thinks the new album will further cement Jars of Clay's mainstream fan base. "Their sound and their songs cut through the clutter," he says of their success in the general market. "The music connected…but because we've had such success doesn't mean we can just sit back. We have to be proactive in our promotion of this record.

Tedesco says Silvertone is setting up a promotional tour that will feature listening parties in six markets-Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, Minneapolis, and Seattle-between Aug. 12 and Friday (22). "We want people to hear what an incredible album this is," he says. "At the end of the listening party, the group will perform a little acoustic set."

According to Tedesdo, there will be prime pricing and positioning at retail, and Silvertone will support the band's fall tour, which will find it headlining theaters across the country.

"Touring has been really effective in helping raise their profile," says Silvertone's director of artist development, Janet McQueenie. "Jars of Clay is our most successful act. This has been a highly anticipated release, and it looks like it's going to be a great fourth quarter."*

*Transcribed from Billboard Magazine, August 23, 1997, pages 12 and 14.